Chapter 156 I Did It for Stella
"Put it down!"
As Jasper was lost in thought over the album, a woman's voice suddenly rang out behind him.
In the next moment, Adeline lunged forward and snatched the album from his grasp, "Who said you could touch my things?"
That album is a birthday gift from Blake.
After the leukemia diagnosis, the little guy spent every day in the hospital.
Though young, he had a poignant awareness of life and death; he feared that she would miss him if one day he were gone.
So, he had covertly crafted the album as a gift for her.
"There are no photos of me and Bennett together in this album.
"If I die one day, just think of me and Bennett as one," Blake had said when he gave her the album—and those words still echoed in her ears.
Seeing her on edge, Jasper raised an eyebrow, "Did Bennett have a serious illness?"
"No."
Adeline turned away, carefully placing the album back on the shelf, "Just a minor cold."
"A minor cold that required months in the hospital?"
The man's voice grew colder, "I noticed the dates on the hospital bed's chart span three to four months."
His gaze fixed on her, "What kind of cold needs such a long hospital stay?"
Adeline fell silent.
She glanced back at him with a scowl, "What if he caught a cold every month for three to four months, huh?"
"Sure, why not."
Jasper settled into a comfortable position on Adeline's bed and scoffed at the ceiling, "Just last night, someone was criticizing my childcare, claiming she'd never let the kid suffer.
"And now you're telling me Bennett needs to be hospitalized for a cold every month?"
Adeline couldn't be bothered with him. "Sebastian said he'll be here later to give me a ride to work.
"Make a run for it while he's still not here."
Jasper lay motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Feels like we're sneaking around or something."
Adeline stiffened slightly.
Turning her head, she gave Jasper a cold glance. "Isn't that what we're doing?"
Back then, Jasper had cheated on her with Molly.
Now, she was the one with Jasper behind Stella's back.
It all seemed like a vicious circle.
She had finally become the person she despised the most.
Jasper remained silent.
After a moment, he handed her his phone. "Take a look."
Adeline took it.
The screen showed footage from the gallery where Stella had intentionally pushed her, damaging Sebastian's painting.
It was the same video that Sebastian had shown her that day.
Her brow furrowed abruptly. "This..."
She looked up. "Do you think I released it?"
"Not you."
Jasper shifted to a more comfortable position, nesting his hands behind his head. "This video was sent out by an anonymous account last night at ten.
"And at ten last night, you and I were... busy on the couch."
Hearing him mention last night so casually made Adeline blush.
She cleared her throat and pushed the phone back into his hands. "If you know it wasn't me, then what are you implying?"
"Consider who else knew of the video's existence and had the opportunity to get it. Besides you and Sebastian, who else is there?"
Adeline furrowed her brows. "Should be no one."
Sebastian had been discreet about exhibiting the replica; even the gallery manager was in the dark.
Sebastian had only shared the video with her.
And she had only shown it to Blake.
Blake was a sensible kid, unlikely to leak something like this.
Beyond that, there really was no one else.
"I'll give you a day to think it over. List everyone who could've gotten their hands on the video. I'm going to check each one."
Adeline found it odd. "If this news bothers you, why not just block it online?"
Jasper looked at her coldly. "This video could affect Stella. I want to trace its origin to prevent any further leaks. I don't want Stella to suffer."
His earnest concern for Stella, lying in her bed worrying about solving Stella's problems, struck Adeline as almost laughable. Just last night, he had been with her, and now, today, he was here fretting over Stella.
This guy was the definition of a piece of work.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang again.
Sebastian's smooth and refined voice accompanied it: "Adeline, are you done getting ready? Let's head out."
"Coming."
After a brief reply, Adeline cast another heavy glance at Jasper.
Finally, with a resigned sigh, she fished out a spare key and tossed it to him, "Wait five minutes before leaving.
"And lock the door from the outside when you do."
After instructing Jasper, she took a deep breath, grabbed her bag and coat, and left the apartment.
Sebastian was waiting in the hallway, arms crossed and leaning against the wall.
"All set?" he asked.
Adeline blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Never mind." He casually draped an arm over her shoulder and escorted her into the elevator. "I'll take you to the office."
The drive from the Swan Lake community to the office was neither too short nor too long – just enough for Adeline and Sebastian to chat for half an hour.
But Adeline was distracted, and after less than ten minutes, the conversation stalled.
At the twelve-minute mark, Sebastian turned on the radio.
"Last night at ten, an anonymous account released a surveillance video of a commotion at a downtown gallery a few days ago.
"In the video, Miss Stella, Jasper's wife, is seen furiously rushing up behind Miss Adeline and shoving her down onto the painting 'The Kite and The Girl.'
"Just yesterday, netizens were lamenting the damage to Stella's favorite painting, but today, it has been revealed that the culprit behind the destruction was Stella herself!"
"No wonder Mr. Foster was so eager to settle the damages, claiming he saw nothing – he wasn't trying to confuse the story; he was covering up for his wife."
Listening to the news on the radio, Sebastian couldn't help but click his tongue twice, "That's how you deal with someone like Stella: release the video and clear things up directly!"
He gave Adeline a thumbs-up, "Decisive!"
Adeline turned towards the window, a hint of resignation in her voice, "I wasn't the one who released the video. I only found out about it this morning."
Then she looked at Sebastian, "Besides me, who else did you show that video to?"
Sebastian scratched his head, pondering for a while before he realized there was another person.
"I showed it to Stella."
Adeline's whole body tensed up instantly.
She turned to him in astonishment, "What do you mean? You gave that surveillance footage to Stella?"
"Yep."
Sebastian furrowed his brow, "I saw Stella bully you yesterday, making a fuss about your so-called venomous nature and even having Mrs. Foster hassle you.
"So, I set up a new email address and sent her the video with a little note, reminding her to keep a low profile from now on. We've got evidence that could ruin her if necessary."
After speaking, Sebastian curled his lip doubtfully, "But I guess she isn't the one behind this, right?
"With all the backlash she's getting from the news, it seems pointless for her to release the video and get slammed for it."
Adeline squinted out the car window, pondering.
After a moment, she smiled, "It might seem far-fetched for anyone else, but Stella is capable of any outrageous act."
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